TheCount's Final Mock (2012)

Pick #14: Fletcher Cox - DE - Mississippi State
I choose to believe he'll be there. I know he just keeps creeping up in mock drafts, but to me it comes down to that fact that he doesn't have the athletic talent or production of JJ Watt, who went 11th overall last year so the idea that he's a sure-fire Top 10 selection may not necessarily be the case.

I will also add that I won't be surprised at all of Poe is the pick. I think we we've been very sneaky about hiding our interest, and that sending Callahan down to look at Leary may have been a covert way to get a peek at Poe. Afterall, if you aren't going to send the D Coord or HC down, who better to send to see if a DL player has what it takes to beat NFL offensive linemen than the line coach? I'd be a little scared if we took him, but I can't lie, he intrigues me.

Pick #45: Dont’a Hightower – OLB/ILB – Alabama
I'm sure this one will surprise, especially since some were making the case for Hightower being the pick at 14 a few weeks back. I think it'll be tough for him to find a home. Pittsburg and Baltimore are the most likely candidates in the first, as I don't think he has a position in a 4-3 Defense. We've got a pretty decent pick in the 2nd round and if he's within sniping range, I wouldn't be surprised to see us go get him.

Pick #81: Casey Hayward - CB - Vanderbilt
Mike Jenkins is going to want 50.1mil at the end of this year, and I don't think we can afford to have two 10mil a year CB's, so there's a good chance he walks. We've shown interest in Hayward, and I think he's a very good possibility if he's available.

Pick #113: Michael Egnew - TE - Missouri
We've tipped our hand a bit on the type of TE's we prefer. Those taller, athletic guys. Make no mistake, we drafted Bennett because we thought he'd be Jimmy Graham, not because of his blocking ability. With that in mind, if we take a TE, I think it'll be this type of player.

Pick #135: Philip Blake - C - Baylor
We've shown interest in Blake, and he's one of those guys I have a good feeling will be wearing a star by this time next week unless someone takes him earlier. Phil Costa, with a year of NFL starting experience, will make a good backup plan.

Pick #152: Hebron Fangupo - DT - BYU
And now for a guy we've shown no real interest in at a position we keep saying is perfectly fine. He's got brute strength, natural leverage and seems to laugh in the face of adversity. A family man, a hard worker and a positive personality... sounds like a Garrett guy to me. I ran the numbers on the average physical numbers for starting NT's around the league last year and it average out to 6'2" 325 - Fangupo is 6'1 323, pretty much prototypical.

Pick #186: Ronald Leary - OG - Memphis

Okay, so maybe sending Callahan to Memphis WASN'T masterful display of trickeration. Leary seems like just the type of offensive lineman we'd take late in a draft. A guy that was projected to go late to undrafted but we've somehow got a line on and seem to like. I can't say I know much about the guy, but he had a pretty decent combine... I just hope we don't go and draft him in the 3rd or something crazy like that.

Pick #222: Frank Alexander - OLB - Oklahoma

I don't know that we've shown much interest in him, especially after his medical scare that is (supposedly) all cleared up now but this is a guy that would definitely be going higher if not for the potential health issue. In the 7th round? He's a steal. You can never have enough pass rushers, and he can play special teams and give us depth at OLB while he develops.

----

I think we will scoop up an experienced receiver after the draft, looking to duplicate what we did with Robinson after a team cuts a guy with some talent AND experience. We may also not draft a TE and look to do the same there, but that's a bit harder to do.

Thoughts are always welcome, it's been a pleasure discussing this stuff with you guys all offseason. Looking forward to the post-draft debates.

Pick #14: Fletcher Cox - DE - Mississippi State
I choose to believe he'll be there. I know he just keeps creeping up in mock drafts, but to me it comes down to that fact that he doesn't have the athletic talent or production of JJ Watt, who went 11th overall last year so the idea that he's a sure-fire Top 10 selection may not necessarily be the case.

I will also add that I won't be surprised at all of Poe is the pick. I think we we've been very sneaky about hiding our interest, and that sending Callahan down to look at Leary may have been a covert way to get a peek at Poe. Afterall, if you aren't going to send the D Coord or HC down, who better to send to see if a DL player has what it takes to beat NFL offensive linemen than the line coach? I'd be a little scared if we took him, but I can't lie, he intrigues me.

Pick #45: Dont’a Hightower – OLB/ILB – Alabama
I'm sure this one will surprise, especially since some were making the case for Hightower being the pick at 14 a few weeks back. I think it'll be tough for him to find a home. Pittsburg and Baltimore are the most likely candidates in the first, as I don't think he has a position in a 4-3 Defense. We've got a pretty decent pick in the 2nd round and if he's within sniping range, I wouldn't be surprised to see us go get him.

Pick #81: Casey Hayward - CB - Vanderbilt
Mike Jenkins is going to want 50.1mil at the end of this year, and I don't think we can afford to have two 10mil a year CB's, so there's a good chance he walks. We've shown interest in Hayward, and I think he's a very good possibility if he's available.

Pick #113: Michael Egnew - TE - Missouri
We've tipped our hand a bit on the type of TE's we prefer. Those taller, athletic guys. Make no mistake, we drafted Bennett because we thought he'd be Jimmy Graham, not because of his blocking ability. With that in mind, if we take a TE, I think it'll be this type of player.

Pick #135: Philip Blake - C - Baylor
We've shown interest in Blake, and he's one of those guys I have a good feeling will be wearing a star by this time next week unless someone takes him earlier. Phil Costa, with a year of NFL starting experience, will make a good backup plan.

Pick #152: Hebron Fangupo - DT - BYU
And now for a guy we've shown no real interest in at a position we keep saying is perfectly fine. He's got brute strength, natural leverage and seems to laugh in the face of adversity. A family man, a hard worker and a positive personality... sounds like a Garrett guy to me. I ran the numbers on the average physical numbers for starting NT's around the league last year and it average out to 6'2" 325 - Fangupo is 6'1 323, pretty much prototypical.

Pick #186: Ronald Leary - OG - Memphis

Okay, so maybe sending Callahan to Memphis WASN'T masterful display of trickeration. Leary seems like just the type of offensive lineman we'd take late in a draft. A guy that was projected to go late to undrafted but we've somehow got a line on and seem to like. I can't say I know much about the guy, but he had a pretty decent combine... I just hope we don't go and draft him in the 3rd or something crazy like that.

Pick #222: Frank Alexander - OLB - Oklahoma

I don't know that we've shown much interest in him, especially after his medical scare that is (supposedly) all cleared up now but this is a guy that would definitely be going higher if not for the potential health issue. In the 7th round? He's a steal. You can never have enough pass rushers, and he can play special teams and give us depth at OLB while he develops.

----

I think we will scoop up an experienced receiver after the draft, looking to duplicate what we did with Robinson after a team cuts a guy with some talent AND experience. We may also not draft a TE and look to do the same there, but that's a bit harder to do.

Thoughts are always welcome, it's been a pleasure discussing this stuff with you guys all offseason. Looking forward to the post-draft debates.

If those guys are there at one and two it would happen however I can't see Cox falling to us at 14 or Hightower slipping pass Balt, Pitt and the NYG in the first and past KC in the second. Anything is possible and there are some great picks in the later rounds. I like your first Mock better.

Don't think it is realistic...the first pick anyway, not so much on the second either but more likely than the first... either way if it happened I would walk away happy.

The idea of a realistic mock draft is already an oxymoron, I'd call this an optimistic mock, and I always feel optimistic the day before the draft. :laugh2:

On a different note I love that the public opinion of Cox as ballooned from virtual unknown to guaranteed Top 10 in a matter of months, crazy how the draft process works. I guess that's part of what makes it so much fun.

Obviously if I wanted to be conservative I could have just gone Barron, Curry, Ta'amu, etc. I've done a million mocks like that, frankly I'm bored with them.